Major General Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Defense Intelligence Department of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. Photos Pravda
In an interview with NHK, Mr. Budanov stated that many areas in Ukraine are still under Russian control, so Ukraine will soon counterattack to regain the territory.
“We cannot waste any more time. We already have a minimum of weapons and other equipment. All I can say is that the counter-offensive will begin soon,” he said. strong.
Budanov noted that Ukraine will use all available forces and assets to drive Russian troops out of Ukrainian territory. He further stressed that, for the counter-offensive operation to be successful, Ukraine would need “a substantial supply of weapons and ammunition”. In addition, Ukraine also needs more fighters.
Earlier, in April 2023, Kyrylo Budanov announced that Ukraine was approaching an important battle in modern history – a reference to the large-scale counter-offensive long announced by Kiev. He added that this battle is scheduled to take place this spring.
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on May 24 that Russia does not want to “freeze” the conflict in Ukraine. He stressed that Russia will achieve all its goals in Ukraine through special military operations or through all other means, state news agency TASS reported.
“Russia is currently only considering the completion of its special military operation to ensure its interests, achieving Russia’s goals through a special military operation or by other available means.” , Peskov told TASS in response to a question whether Russia would consider the possibility of freezing the conflict.
In addition, according to Peskov, it is still too early to talk about a peaceful solution to the conflict in Ukraine. Specifically, when asked whether the reconciliation plan proposed by the countries would be better for Russia and whether Moscow has its own plan, the Kremlin spokesman stressed: “It is still too early to say. There are no preconditions for a peace process, that’s for sure.”
Asked if the Kremlin is ready to negotiate with anyone in the current Ukrainian administration, Peskov said: “This is unlikely, because any negotiations with Russia are prohibited (in Ukraine)”.
Last October, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree denying the possibility of negotiations with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Zelensky stated that Ukraine is ready to negotiate with Russia, but not with Putin.
